Epiphanies of Romance
by selenehekate
Summary: All it took were five small kisses for him to learn the truth.


He hadn't meant to kiss her.

Honestly, it hadn't been his intention at all. But when Camille Harroway came chasing after him in the schoolyard one Thursday afternoon, her arms outstretched and her lips puckered, he'd had no choice.

"Harry!"

He had turned, blinking as the harsh sun shone down upon his young, eight year old eyes. There she stood, her curly black hair blowing in the breeze as she wrinkled her nose at him. "Hello Camille."

"What do you _mean_ 'hello?'" She stepped closer to him, her eyes narrowing. "Harry Potter, you promised me you'd save me a juice today in class!"

"Oh. Right, sorry. I forgot."

"You can't just _forget_," she said, coming even closer to him. "You _promised_!"

"I'm sorry Camille," he said, giving her a weak smile. "How about I save you one tomorrow?"

She scowled. "That's not good enough. You need to be punished."

He was taken aback. "I- What?"

"You heard me," she said, a small grin coming onto her face. "You're mean! So you know what I'm going to do?"

He took a step back. "Camille-"

But she just grabbed his shoulders in her hands and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him quickly on the mouth. She pulled back a second later, letting out a joyous squeal as she ran off. "I kissed Harry! I kissed Harry!"

He stood there, stunned, completely unable to move. "...What just happened?" he muttered, shaking his head slightly. Had he really just been kissed? Did that mean that Camille liked him? _She's pretty,_ he thought to himself. _But she's just... Camille._ _I don't think-_

But he was pulled brutally from his musings as a fist connected with the side of his face, knocking him to the ground. He looked up in shock to find his cousin Dudley standing over him, a glare on his face. "You think you can run around kissing people, eh Harry? _No one_ should want to kiss you. You hear me, Harry? No one." And with that, he turned around and walked off.

As Harry climbed uneasily to his feet, still in shock from both the kiss and the punch, he was hit by an uneasy revelation that surprised his young mind: romance is painful.

* * *

He counted Cho Chang as his first _real_ kiss.

While Camille had been the first to claim his lips as her own, Cho was the one he truly liked, and Cho was the one he'd wanted to snog for ages. He adored her smile, her laugh, the way her hair fell just so onto her shoulders...

To him, Cho was an accomplishment, a triumph that he'd never deemed possible. In the farthest reaches of his mind, Cho had always been Cedric's, never his. And yet when he finally got to be kissed, it was as if he'd won. He'd been chosen. She was his.

Yet even through his elation he'd known that something wasn't right. Despite his victory and his feelings of wonder, he knew it couldn't last; the tears that streamed down Cho's face were proof of that.

Yes, she kissed him. But she never _really_ wanted him. Not in the way she'd wanted Cedric. Not in the way that she'd loved him. Cedric was the only one that she _truly _desired, and so her brief romance with Harry was destined to be fleeting.

It was from that second kiss, from feeling Cho's tears and knowing that they weren't about him, that Harry learned something very important: romance is heartbreaking.

* * *

When it came to Ginny Weasley, Harry learned early on that she had all of the power.

Nearly two weeks after their relationship began, for example, when Harry and Ginny were lounging about together under a tree, the demands began.

"Kiss me now," she said, blinking her long eyelashes up at him.

He coughed, glancing over at his girlfriend. "What?"

"You heard me," she said, giving a light laugh. "I want you to kiss me. Right here, and right now."

"But... But Ron..." He trailed off, glancing over to where his best friend was playing catch with Dean and Seamus. He spoke up again. "Not to mention your ex-"

"Oh, they'll never know," Ginny said, waving the thought off. "They're too entrenched in their little ball game to notice. I doubt they'll even spare a glance our way for another hour, at _least_."

"Ginny," Harry said, pulling back a little. "It's just not right. I'm not going to snog you in front of my best friend, your _brother!_ I can't-"

"You don't want to kiss me?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow. "Really, now? I mean, I _thought _you liked me, given the way that you practically _attacked_ me after we won that Quidditch match... Then again, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you didn't mean to kiss me after all, and your face just happened to fall against mine-"

"Please, Ginny? Please, I just don't want to. Not in front of Ron."

The redhead sighed, leaning back against the tree. "Fine, then. You don't have to. Never mind, I'll just... I should really be getting inside."

Seeing her like that, so sad and disappointed... He couldn't take it. So with a small sigh of his own, Harry leaned over and quickly captured her lips with his, giving her a short, chaste kiss on the lips that sent a smile to her face...

...And a ball to his head.

"Oy!" Ron shouted at them. "Not in _public_!"

As Ron turned away, Harry faced Ginny, a scowl on his face. "You see? I _told_ you that he'd see us!"

She shrugged. "Well he has to get used to the idea of us as a couple eventually. We might as well just break him in sooner, rather than later." She gave him a large grin. "So? How about we go again?"

He frowned. "Ginny-"

"Please?" Her eyes were so beautiful, so brown, and so adorable. She looked at him, pleading for him to say yes...

He sighed. He couldn't possibly say no to her. "Come here," he muttered, leaning in. Even though he knew it would upset Ron, he had to do what she wanted; he had to make her happy. And thus came his third unhappy moment of clarity: romance is forceful.

* * *

Annette Brinkly was a strong woman of twenty and a half who believed whole-heartedly in the sanctity of home and privacy. It was probably because of this that Harry felt himself so drawn to her after the Final Battle. With all of the wizarding world harassing him and following his every move, it felt nice to be with someone who didn't want to share in the spotlight.

Three months into their relationship found him settling into box seats with Annette at the Wimborne Wasps home Quidditch match. She was laughing, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around her. "Really though," she asked, her voice sounding musical against the din of the crowd. "This team, the Wasps, are you a fan?"

"Not at all," Harry said with a grin. "Ron got me far too attached to the Chudley Cannons when I was still in school. No matter how poorly they're playing right now, they're still my favorite team."

"Yeah? Do you watch them play a lot?"

"Oh, all of the time," he responded. "Actually, as terrible as this sounds, I own a box at the Cannons' stadium. Ron and I get free tickets to every home match."

"Wow, really? That must be amazing!"

"Yeah, it's nice. They've been flying in away matches all month, though. Otherwise, I would have taken you to one."

Annette waved it off. "No, I know absolutely nothing about Quidditch. I'd be a terrible inconvenience at the game. You'd spend all of your time explaining the rules to me, and you'd get sick of me right quick because of it. I don't want to spoil your fun."

"If you insist."

"But Harry," she continued. "If you're a fan of the Cannons, what are we doing here? They aren't playing, so-"

"Oh, the Wasps are playing against the Holyhead Harpies," he explained. "Ginny got me the seats, and-"

"Ginny?" she interrupted, pulling back slightly. "As in Ginny Weasley? Your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah," he said, failing to notice Annette's discomfort. "She's actually really worried about this match, too. The Wasps are playing really well this year, and-"

"You took me on a date to see your ex-girlfriend play Quidditch?"

He blinked, surprised by her reaction. "Well, yeah. She's nervous. I wanted to support her-"

"Oh," she said, raising her voice slightly. "So you took me here to _support _your ex-girlfriend, then?"

"Annette, how is that a bad thing?"

She stood up, shaking her head. "Never mind. Just you forget it."

"Annette-"

"I should probably go."

He grabbed her arm, standing up as he pulled her back towards him. "I don't understand. What's the problem? Are you jealous of-"

"Harry," she said softly, shaking her head. "Who am I kidding? You still love her. It's obvious in everything you do. In everything you say... I've tried to look beyond it, but... I can't be with you anymore. You don't care for me like you do her."

"Annette, I really-"

"Even now, when I'm here with you, you're thinking about her."

"You're mad! That's not at all-"

"You may like me, Harry. But you don't love me. Not like you love Ginny. And that's okay. I always knew we wouldn't last." She leaned in, giving him a small, chaste kiss on the mouth. Her lips lingered there for a fraction of a second before she pulled back. "Don't wait too long to tell her," she whispered before she pulled back and hurried out of the box.

"Annette!" Harry called after her. "Annette!"

But it was too no avail. It was only after this unfortunate incident that Harry finally realized something else: romance is messy.

* * *

It took Harry almost a year before he listened to her.

He was too busy rounding up Death Eaters and meeting other girls to dwell on Annette's parting words for long, but eventually he realized she was right. Eventually, the day came when he finally admitted to himself that he truly did love Ginny.

That day was a warm one, the sun beaming uncharacteristically down on the London streets as Harry hurried towards the Burrow. Flinging the door open, he called out, "Ron! Ron, where are you?"

"He's not here."

Harry turned, coming face to face with Ginny Weasley, her eyes perfectly made up, her dress formal and stunning. Harry couldn't help but gape at her; it had been months since he'd last seen her, and he couldn't help but notice that she looked older... "He stepped out a little while ago," she continued. "He wanted to run by Hogsmeade for something. But he should be back soon."

"Oh." He paused, trying to find his voice. "When did you get back?" he asked at last.

"A week ago," she said with a small smile. "I have a bit of time off before our team heads off to Russia for a few matches."

"Well that's... nice. Sorry, why are you dressed like that? It's the middle of the day."

"Dean's taking me out," she responded, raising an eyebrow. "We're going to a muggle benefit concert."

"That doesn't sound like you at all," Harry commented.

"No, but it means a lot to him, so I'm going."

The implications of her statement suddenly dawned on him, and he let out a small snort of laughter. "I see," he said slowly. "So you're back with him again."

"Yes."

"But why?" Harry asked. "It didn't work out the first time. Why, in the name of _Merlin_, would you think that it could ever-"

"I hardly see what concern it is of yours," she pointed out. "You and I didn't work out the first time 'round either. Just because I'm with Dean again, that doesn't mean-"

"He's not right for you," he blurted, before wincing slightly. Why couldn't he just hold his tongue?

"And what gives you the right to say that?"

But he just looked at her, standing there so beautiful before him, and he knew immediately that what Annette had said was true. He stepped forward, taking her up in his arms. "Because I am right for you," he whispered, staring into her eyes. "I love you."

A small smile crossed her lips. "And just what makes you so sure that's enough to change my mind? You weren't exactly dependable the first time around, you know."

"Perhaps," he said, leaning in. "But now I know it to be true: You are, and always will be, the only girl for me."

He kissed her, his lips moving slowly against her own as finally, finally he felt at peace. This was right. They were right; he had been foolish to think otherwise, and he was never going to let her go again.

He could understand now, the appeal of romance. As painful and controlling as it could be, romance was not so terrbile in the end. No matter what, there was one solid truth about romance that nobody could ever change: romance is amazing and completely irresistible. And despite all of its faults, romance is wholly worth it.

"Oy!"

Harry winced as he felt a hard thump on the back of his head. Ron jerked him around, glaring at him as he spoke. "What the bloody hell are you doing snogging my sister? _Again_?"

* * *

I really had a lot of fun writing this! It was pretty awesome, delving into Harry's past and finding hidden moments that he could use to define romance. I hope you enjoyed it as well!

Please go and review Hidden Lives! I really need feedback for this story, and all you have to do is tell me what you think. If you like it, if it's boring, if it sucks... if you want to give a more detailed review, that's more than appreciated! Thank you, in advanced!

This was written for the 5 Kisses Competition.

Thank you so much to everyone who will review! I really appreciated it!

Love,

-Selene


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